Fun and Meaningful Art in the Bathroom

Years ago when I was working and an avid Young House Love reader, I was always a bit befuddled by their art posts. They were big believers in making art out of things that are meaningful to you. I loved how their art turned out, but I didn’t know how to do it in my own life. Bit by bit as I work to decorate my home, I am learning what meaningful art means to me. Today, I added some meaningful art to our guest bathroom.

The guest bathroom has a large open wall above the toilet and between the toilet and vanity. This space looks even larger and more awkward because the toilet is off-center. I wanted to add some art to distract from the ill-placed toilet and liven up the room. For the longest time, the only decor in the bathroom was a little faux succulent planter I picked up at Target.

Doesn’t he look lonely with that large empty wall above him?

Now, that space is filled with pieces that are fun and meaningful to me!

It all began with the painting in the middle that I painted with a group of dear mom friends. Have you ever done those guided painting sessions? SO FUN! Before I even started the painting, I knew where it was going to go. The colors were perfect for our guest bathroom!

Shortly after painting that canvas, long-time friends of ours gave us the reclaimed wood Africa. They live in South Africa, hence, the heart! Again, the color scheme is perfect for our guest bathroom!

Cool story behind the Africa art. It was made by the company Busetsa, which means “reclaimed”, who helps disadvantaged people learn wood working to earn a living. Reclaimed wood is used to make all of their pieces. Even cooler yet, the man that made this particular piece used to be part of the foster care home our friends run! How awesome is that?!

The last pieces are totally jumping on the letterboard bandwagon! Since this is primarily a guest bathroom, I thought it would be fun to have a letterboard to leave sweet, or snarky, messages for our guests. I’d love it if they’d return the favor. 🙂 To keep the extra letters handy for such shenanigans, I mounted a mason jar to a scrap board and hung it under the letter board.

The guest bathroom is mainly for friends, so I thought it appropriate to use art work that reminds me of or is directly from friends. Even if no one else knows the significance of these pieces, they are significant to me! I am content knowing that.

Working this quick, little gallery wall made me realize a few things about decorating my home.

Take Your Time

Blogs have a way of making a project look effortless and done in a flash. Even when writers try to explain the process, it still feels easy when I read how someone else did it. The truth is this: making a house a home is a process not a one-time event. My tastes will change, and my abilities to create will improve over time. Relax, take your time, and enjoy the process.

Start with One Meaningful Piece

If you’re stuck with what to put on a wall, select one meaningful piece and put it in the room. Not necessarily on the wall, maybe on a dresser or ledge, just somewhere visible. Then let it ruminate in your mind. Do you have other things that go with that theme, color, vibe? Start to pull things from other rooms as they come to mind. I find that things suddenly click for me, and I can go put it all together in a way that I like.

It’s Your Home, No One Else’s

Everything in your home should bring you joy, not your friends, not your extended family. If you like it, have the confidence to display the things you love. I was at a friend’s house last night that had a circus themed room. From awesome original clown paintings to grand-kid’s art work to throw pillows with subtle circus animal embroidery. The theme of circus was subtly or overtly shown in everything she chose to put into the room. How fun is that?! Incorporate the things that speak to you and bring you joy into your home. It’s your home and no one else’s.

How do you incorporate meaningful art into your home? Have you ever been stalled, like me, by other’s apparent ease at decorating? Or is it easy for you to decide what to hang on the walls? Do share!